The Biggest Challenge
by FoolsRushIn
Summary: "My dad told me the biggest challenge is settling down. That the only way to do it is to meet the right woman and all I could think about was you. You're it for me." Set after 6x24, Challenge Accepted.


_So, yeah, I was going to update my other story but I watched 'Challenge Accepted' the other day and thought of this. I hope you like it! Let me know what you think and check out my other stories! Thanks!_

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><p>It hits her like a ton of bricks when they're standing on the street corner. She's still in love with Barney. She guesses it's been kind of obvious for awhile now. She doesn't know why it took her so long to realize it, but seeing Nora really drives the point home. She was never over Barney and she still isn't. She sighs. It's pretty much her fault. Okay, it's completely her fault. She introduced Barney and Nora and she's the one who sent Nora to play laser tag that day. She thought she was over Barney though, she really did. She knows she can't deal with this now, because Barney's still here. She needs to be alone, she needs time to process. "Robin?" Barney says waving a hand in her face and she realizes Nora is gone.<p>

"Sorry, what?" She blinks bringing herself back to reality looking up at Barney.

"Celebratory drinks at MacLaren's?" He questions glancing in the general direction of the bar. When she doesn't respond, he elaborates. "We have a lot to celebrate, the demolition of the Arcadian…" He trails off explaining.

"And you and Nora," she mumbles pushing her hair out of her face. He squints and looks at her closely. She shifts uncomfortably under his intense gaze, she really can't be around him right now. She needs to sort out her feelings and figure everything out.

"So," he prompts looking closely at her again.

"It's been a really long day," she shrugs by way of explanation. "I think I'm going to go home, but Ted told me he was heading down there so you won't be alone." She gives him a tight smile and turns to face the street. The rest of their walk is in silence and they both pause awkwardly outside the bar. "So, I'm just going to…" She trails off gesturing to her apartment. Barney studies her again before nodding. She starts up the steps and pauses when Barney starts to speak.

"Are you going to come down later?" She fidgets with her hands and refuses to meet his eyes. She knows she's acting weird, but she can't be around Barney.

"Maybe," she mutters plastering on a smile.

"Robin," he starts and he sounds unsure. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," she replies quickly giving him a wave and practically sprinting through the door. She doesn't stop to think or take a breath until she's safely in her apartment. She shuts the door behind her and leans up against it taking a deep breath. God, she's so awful at hiding her feelings in front of Barney. She almost jumps out of her skin when someone knocks on the door she's still leaning on.

"Oh h-hey Barney," she greets when she opens the door and he's on the other side. "I thought you were going to the bar?"

"Ted wasn't there." He shrugs walking into the apartment. She closes the door behind him and leans against it. When she glances over at him, she notices he's studying her again.

"Stop looking at me like that," she mumbles not moving from her spot by the door.

"Like what?"

"Like, I don't know, like you're looking into my soul. It's freaking me out." She glares at him and he continues looking at her intently.

"What happened?"

"What happened?" She echoes confused by his question.

"You were fine all day until," he stops and bites his lower lip in thought. She tries not to think about how cute he looks deep in thought, but she can't help it. His face brightens and he starts to speak again. "You were fine until we ran into Nora!" He announces proudly, but then confusion takes over. "I thought you and Nora were friends."

"We are," she shrugs not offering further explanation. It's not like she's going to come out and say it's because she still has feelings for him.

"Then what was it?" It's clear he's not planning on letting this topic of conversation go.

"It's not a big deal," she rolls her eyes trying to brush it off.

"It clearly is and I don't know why you won't tell me what's going on." He says and runs his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Why are you so worried about it?" She shoots back. It's none of his business what's wrong with her and she thinks that if he keeps pushing, it might all spill out.

"Because I care about you." She crosses her arms and notices they're still standing on opposite sides of the room. She wishes he would leave. Barney being here defeats the entire purpose of not going to the bar.

"Just let it go," she instructs looking directly at him. Maybe eye contact will deter him from pursuing this topic of conversation.

"You know I'm not going to." He says unapologetically taking a couple steps in her direction. "Robin, what's going on?" He asks this time in a softer voice. She isn't sure what happens but suddenly she feels ready to burst.

"I don't want you to date Nora!" She yells out suddenly and then, claps her hand over her mouth.

"What?" He questions his eyes wide in confusion.

"Nothing, nothing." She mumbles hoping there's a chance he didn't hear what she said.

"You set me up with Nora." Robin nods, but she doesn't say anything. She's not sure where he's going with this but she doesn't trust herself to speak at this point. "You practically forced me to go out with her and then, you yelled at me when I decided not to call her back. Now you don't want me to date her. You're being ridiculous!"

"I know!" She yells back. "God, Barney I know. That's why I didn't want to say anything."

"Why don't you want me to go out with Nora?" She stands there silently, shifting. "Robin," he sighs and she knows he's begging her for an answer.

"I still have feelings for you." Well, feelings isn't as bad as love. She doesn't want things to get awkward between her and Barney again. They were finally back to normal and now she's going to screw everything up.

"You sure have a way of showing it." He mutters and that's her breaking point. She feels all of her emotions come rushing out and she's powerless to stop them.

"It's not like I want to feel this way!" She defends, her voice rising with each word. "I tell myself constantly that I don't feel anything for you and it works most of the time. But then you do things like push Ted out of the way so I win the race," she doesn't even explain how she knows what he did, she just continues. "Or you tell me I'm the most amazing and independent woman you've ever banged. Or you give me your 'super date'. You make it completely impossible for me to get over you."

"Well, you haven't made it a walk in the park for me either, Robin!"

"Look, just ignore everything I said to you. Go call Nora and take her out to coffee or dinner or whatever." She mumbles crossing her arms.

"I don't want to go out with Nora." He responds and she looks up at him in shock.

"Barney, you literally asked her out a half hour ago."

"Not to get back together," he says quickly. "I wanted to apologize for lying to her."

"Really?" She asks raising an eyebrow in uncertainty.

"Yes, really." He narrows his eyes at her. "Am I really that awful that you don't believe I would do something like that?"

"No, Barney. That's not it." She tries to explain but he interrupts her.

"I never wanted to go out with Nora."

"Then why did you?" Her eyebrows scrunch up in her confusion.

"Because you wanted me to! Did it ever occur to you that maybe I was excited to go out with you on Valentine's Day?" Robin opens her mouth to respond but Barney keeps going. "My number one rule, or at least one of my rules, is never go out with a woman on Valentine's Day but I invited you out. Then, I came up here and pretty much offered myself to you on a silver platter and all you could do was yell at me about how I was never going to change. So, I lied and said I was there to get Nora's phone number. C'mon, Robin, not being able to read her number. That was, like, the dumbest excuse ever."

"I thought," she pauses. She doesn't even know how to react to all the information Barney has just given her. "It seemed like you really liked her."

"I liked her a little. More than most women," he concedes. "But my feelings for Nora showed me that no woman can ever measure up to you. You're this impossibly high standard that no one else can reach."

"Barney," she tries to interrupt but he continues.

"The night my dad hung out with us," he takes a deep breath and rubs his eyes before looking at her again. "When we were on our way to his house he told me the biggest challenge is settling down. That the only way to do it is to meet the right woman and all I could do was think about you. Not Nora, who I just went on a date with, no it was you. You're the right woman, Robin, and there will never be anyone else. You're it for me." She knows it seems kind of irrelevant at this point, but she thinks back to the conversation they had the other day.

"_The future is scary. But you can't run back to the past, because it's familiar. Yes, it's comforting…" She had said. _

"_But it's a mistake." Barney had finished._

Of course, they were talking to Ted about his relationship with Zoey, but Robin knew the undercurrent of their relationship was there. Even though neither of them talked about it. "Is running back to the past still a mistake?" She asks uncertainly.

"I don't think so," he starts crossing the room so he's standing in front of her. "Because we're not running back to the past. I don't know about you, but I really hope that this time around isn't like the last one." He gives her a small smile and she smiles back.

"It won't be, right?" Barney quickly shakes his head.

"No, we know what we want this time."

"Really?" She asks taking a step toward him. "And what do you want?"

"You," he smiles pulling her into him by her waist. She leans into him burying her face into his chest.

"We can't screw this up again, because I can't lose you." She mumbles into him, not being able to say the words to his face.

"Hey," he says pulling away to look her in the eyes. He strokes her cheek gently and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "No matter what happens you'll never lose me."

"It took us so long to get back to normal after we broke up, I just don't want to do that again." She explains and he nods.

"This is going to sound really scary, but I don't want this to only last for a little while. I want this to last forever and I know it's not going to be easy, but I can't imagine the rest of my life any other way. I never want to be that 80-year-old man still hitting on 25-year-olds. I want to be an 80-year-old with an awesome woman at home." Robin laughs shaking her head at him.

"Do you think we pass Lily's front porch test?"

"No," he says immediately. "I don't think she'll approve of the sex swing."

"You're still going to have a sex swing when you're 80?" She asks raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"Of course, Scherbatsky. God, do you think we're going to be a boring old married couple?" He asks with a laugh. "Lame."

"I wouldn't expect anything less of you, Barney." She smiles trying to suppress an eye roll. "Don't you already have a sex swing, though?"

"Duh," he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. "Wanna go try it out?"

"I thought you'd never ask." She laughs loudly quickly following him out of the apartment. They may learn new things, grow older and more mature, and develop a more serious relationship than either ever imagined; but deep down they'll always be the same. Robin Scherbatsky will always be the gun-toting, scotch-swilling Canadian afraid of getting in too deep and Barney Stinson will always be the commitment phobe who makes inappropriate jokes and is never seen in anything other than a suit. Maybe, they'll get married and maybe, someday, they'll have a family. It doesn't matter what happens as long as in the end, they have each other. So when they walk out the door to her apartment, Robin doesn't hesitate to let her hand slip into his. He flashes her a wide smile and she just knows that everything is going to be okay.


End file.
